Actor Colin Egglesfield reveals 3rd cancer diagnosis, urges others to get screened
"All My Children" star Colin Egglesfield says he is "grateful" for the support he received after revealing he was diagnosed with cancer for the third time.
"It's freaking scary," he said in an Instagram video Friday. "It's confusing, it's exhausting, and I'm just grateful for all the people that have been able to show up and support me through this, through this next chapter in my life where I'm still learning and still growing, still trying to figure out how to make the best life out of this life that we have."
The actor, who is also known for his roles in "Something Borrowed" and "Melrose Place," shared in an Instagram post earlier this week that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year.
In the post, he shared photos of himself post-surgery, which he said that he decided to do to be "proactive" after catching the cancer early and spending a year "doing a lot of research."
Egglesfield said in his video on Friday that he was first diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2006 while he was working on "All My Children." He said that he underwent surgery and radiation at the time, but after a year, he said the cancer came back "to the other side."
According to the National Cancer Institute, testicular cancer is "a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of one or both testicles." Testicular cancer is rare and "is most frequently diagnosed in men ages 20 to 34," the agency states.
Treatment for testicular cancer can include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surveillance and high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant, according to the National Cancer Institute, which notes that testicular cancer can come back even after it has been treated.
Egglesfield said it's rare to be diagnosed with testicular cancer twice and rare to be diagnosed with prostate cancer too, but he added that "it's becoming more and more common."
Research published in the journal PLOS One in 2022 and shared on the National Library of Medicine website showed that testicular cancer survivors "have an increased risk of additional cancers, including prostate cancer."
Since revealing his third diagnosis, Egglesfield said a lot of men have reached out to him about the diagnosis and the surgery. He said that catching the cancer early can make a difference and has urged others to do the same by being proactive and making appointments with their doctors.
"We are, a lot of times, afraid of things," Egglesfield said. "We're afraid of the unknown. So when people say, 'Well I don't want to go to the doctor because I'm afraid of what they're going to tell me. Well, you can live your fear in the ignorance of not knowing what's going on, but I promise you, I have talked to quite a few people who waited till it was too late, and they have said, 'I wish I would have gone back and told my younger self "Just go get the test."'"
Egglesfield added that if anything, it will "give you the peace of mind."
The actor said he hopes to help others diagnosed with cancer by leading the Cancer Fighters Program at City of Hope Hospital in March.
"Lots of times, we just kind of are languishing in life and just are directionless and without some clear direction, some clear goal setting," he said. "It's hard to really accomplish and connect and show up the way you want to be able to show up and be seen and heard and loved for who you are."
